NEW BRAUNFELS - Janie Streety can count on a call from her husband, Jim, at the same time every night, telling her he's on his way home.

About fifteen minutes later, Jim will walk into the same house he's lived in for the past 31 years. He'll grab the paper, go through the mail and eat his dinner.

"I'm probably the most boring guy in the world," Jim Streety, 65, said.

He calls it boring, but it's the key to his success.

Streety has a life rooted in habit. In his 19th season as Madison head football coach and 36th overall, Streety keeps everything planned out by the minute, from daily practices to his own morning routine.

What he calls habit is organization. And that's why his coaching record is as consistent as his daily schedule.

One win from his 300th career victory, Streety will become the 10th high school football coach in Texas to reach the milestone. He can reach the plateau Friday at Kerrville Tivy.

He's also only the second aside from Arlington Lamar's Eddy Peach to have the majority of his victories at the Class 5A level.

The surest sign of Streety's longevity is that he hasn't had a losing season in the 35 years since a 4-6 season in 1974, his first as a head coach.

His legacy may be how he treats stability as a lifestyle.

When he first met Janie in 1964, he introduced himself as "Streety." They celebrated their 43rd anniversary this week, and Janie still calls her husband by their last name.

Stability is two total jobs in 36 years.

There was a time Streety thought he'd be a typical nomadic coach, moving around every time a better offer came along. That was 1972, when he was turned down for the head-coaching job at New Braunfels.

A Unicorns assistant at the time, he considered leaving New Braunfels. Two years later, the job was open again.

Streety spent 17 seasons as the Unicorns head coach and has lived in New Braunfels ever since.

Stability is how Streety has kept the same assistants for most of his career.

There was a time Ron Rittimann thought he'd work for a typical coach. Rittimann was a graduate assistant at Southwest Texas State in 1991, and Streety offered him a job at Madison.

He worked under Streety for 17 seasons before taking over as head coach at Johnson.

Streety keeps his coaching staff intact by giving each assistant substantial input. Rittimann said there wasn't a day he felt like more of an assistant than a coach.

Most of Madison's current coaches have been there for at least six years. The number would be higher if Rittimann hadn't taken four coaches with him to Johnson.

Change happens with each season in football, from the departing senior class to the trendy new offense. But Streety is Madison's constant.

When change does hit with time, Streety adapts. What used to be his backyard fire pit is a sandbox with 14 toy cars and Tonka trucks inside for his grandchildren.

Football players may have changed the most since Streety began coaching. He said the team concept has wilted because of professional athletes. If they aren't buying in, Streety said, "You've got to preach your way through."

The shining example came when Paul Quirindongo rushed for 1,000 yards as a junior in 2000. Streety got him to move to safety for his senior season to help the team. Madison reached the state quarterfinals.

This season, the Mavericks are the third-ranked 5A team in the state, and this could be Streety's best team.